Love, Hope and Loss
by gold-stars-xx
Summary: Shelby is trying to build good relations with her daughter. After a fight breaks out at glee club, she finds Quinn and Rachel on her doorstep and must bring down her barriers in order to help her daughter. Faberry/ Shell/ Brittana.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N this is my first attempt at fic so please be nice. I love the shelby/ Rachel storyline so decided to do my own interpritation. Spelling has been checked as much as possible. Contains violence and possibly Femslash - dont like, dont read. Rated T to be safe. Please read and review and let me know if you want more. :)**

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It's 9pm and the rain is battering down on the roof of Shelby Corcoran's house. Shelby sits quietly on the sofa with a mug of coffee, wrapped in a blanket. She has the TV on low volume, and an episode of Friends is playing. She hears a gentle tap on the door and at first she ignores it, but when the tapping gets more urgent, Shelby opens the door to find a soaking wet Rachel unconscious on the porch of her house, with a tall blonde stood next to her.

"Ermm ... Mrs Corcoran?" Quinn asks hesitantly

"What ... what happened to my baby girl?" Shelby sighs exasperated

"It's ... a long story" Quinn sobs gently "Rachel was annoyed after Glee, that idiot St James hurt her, and she wanted to come see you. She was so upset and then it started raining so hard, she passed out a couple of minutes ago"

"Oh sweets, both of you come in and I'll help, promise" Shelby smiles warmly. She knows that Rachel and she have had their differences, but it makes her slightly happy inside that Rachel would come to her for help.

Quinn scoops Rachel up in her arms and carries her inside Shelby's house. Shelby takes Rachel from Quinn's arms and tells Quinn to help herself to the coffee that's in the kitchen. With a last, worried glance at Rachel, Quinn smiles and walks into the kitchen. Shelby holds her daughter close to her chest, not worried about getting wet and resumes her place on the sofa with Rachel lying on her lap. Not that Shelby would ever let her hard exterior show it but she cares deeply about Rachel, and is horrified that Jessie would hurt her. As she gently strokes Rachel's hair, Shelby comes across marks on her daughter's neck. Quinn re-enters the room at this point, seeing how horrified Shelby looks and starting to well up herself.

"Did Jessie do this to her" Shelby asks Quinn in her firm voice. Quinn can only muster a quiet nod as she falls to the floor sobbing. Shelby moves Rachel closer to her and cradles her gently. How did that monster get away with this?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N wow I didn't expect there to be so many alerts/ favourites/ reviews etc so thank you all so much, I really do appreciate it. Next part coming your way, but first I'm gonna reply to the reviews :)**

**Hollie.14 – thank you! Still trying to plan where to take the story, this chapter will be a flashback to the events in glee club and will be slightly more angst-y, but I plan on adding more fluff to the next chapter in terms of faberry, shell and a side of britanna love! X**

**Kizzy – Thanks a lot, I appreciate your comment x**

**Random glee fan –Glad you enjoyed it, I love the relationship between them too and I agree, Rachel needs a proper friend in series 2. Thanks for the review! X**

**Your_hollywood_tragedyx3 – no offense taken, thanks for being honest. I'm going to try and go into more detail in further chapters and I have my friend reading it through before I post now. Sorry for the mistakes, I find spelling difficult sometimes. Thanks for the advice x**

**DICLAIMER (cos I forgot on the first chapter) I do not claim to nor intend to make profit out of this work. The storylines are purely fictional. I do not own Glee or any songs mentioned. If I did, Idina Menzel would feature way more often.**

**WARNING – this chapter contains violence and references to the episode Bad Reputation. In this Fic, Quinn isn't pregnant, just so you know.**

**On with the story...**

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Flashback to earlier that day

_Glee club was in full flow and Mr Shue was tapping his foot along to the beat of the music whilst the students sang their hearts out. Jesse St James looks over at Rachel. He interprets her body language as smug as she stands there, belting out her solo confidently. After the video fiasco which had turned him into a laughing stock, he had badly wanted to get back at his ex- girlfriend. He wouldn't do anything too dangerous. Even thought he wouldn't admit it to anyone else, he still had feelings for Rachel which just wouldn't die down. As the song finishes and New Directions take a break, Jesse grabs Rachel's arm and pulls her to one side. Everyone stares and Rachel quietly hisses at him._

"_What the hell Jesse?" Rachel snarls quietly_

"_We need to talk, Berry." he snarls back "You made me into a laughing stock. Now, it's payback time"_

_Jesse says this a bit too loud and Finn catches it, running over and standing in front of Rachel_

"_Don't you dare hurt her!" he warns. Finn still feels angry about Rachel and the video, but it doesn't change the fact he's madly in love with her and won't let anyone hurt her. Rachel cowers in the corner of the room as Jesse fights with Finn. Jesse swiftly punches Finn, causing him to fall to the floor, and then drags Rachel out of the room. The whole Glee Club look on in horror, apart from Brittany who really doesn't have a clue what's going on but starts crying as she spots Finn bleeding. Santana puts her arm around Brittany and gently soothes her._

"_San" Brittany mumbles_

"_Yes baby?" Santana replies. They have been dating for a couple of months now and Santana feels the happiest she ever has. She helps Brittany by protecting her from the jocks and helping explain things to her when others just don't have the patience. In return, Brittany helps by being Santana's own little ray of sunshine, brightening her days.  
"Seeing Brittany cry is as unnatural as Puck without his Mohawk" Santana sighs to herself and knows she has to help. _

"_Is ... Is Rachel going to be okay?" Brittany sniffles._

_Santana doesn't really want to give Brittany the full picture, and so she just nods reassuringly and moves to sit on Brittany's knee, gently hugging her close._

_Quinn watches the exchange and offers to find Rachel and Jesse. Quinn and Rachel have really become close since Sectionals and the girls feel happy in each other's company. She tears down the corridor at lightning speed, trying to find where they are. She spots Jesse running to his car and she tries to catch up but it's too late. She curses him under her breath and her thoughts are clouded until she hears a soft mumble behind her._

"_Quinn?" the voice says softly_

_Quinn turns around, her blonde ponytail whipping around sharply, and sees Rachel lying on the floor. She gently kneels down next to her and spots that Rachel's neck and arms are covered in scratches and bruising. She curses Jesse again, knowing she has to go hurt that idiot. Quinn takes off her jacket and drapes it over Rachel's shoulders, helping her to stand._

"_Should I take you home?" she offers_

"_I want my mama" Rachel sniffles. She now lives with Shelby Thursday through to Saturday and the two get on well after their shaky start. _

"_Oh sweetie, I'll take you there okay" Quinn soothes reassuringly. "Don't worry; I won't let Jesse harm you again. We'll have to walk though, because my car is at the garage getting fixed."_

_Rachel manages a small smile, feeling safe as she knows Quinn will protect her. Quinn quickly phones Santana to tell her what's happening, who has the phone on speaker so the whole Glee Club knows too, and the two girls walk off in the direction of Shelby's._

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**A/N Hope you enjoyed this chapter – I liked writing this and am pleased with how it came out! Please Read and Review. xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - So, here's chapter 3 and its the longest yet! Thanks a lot for all the alerts, reviews and favourites. Sorry to those who have this on alert, the chapter wouldn't upload for some reason and then this part had not been added when I re-uploaded it. Hope you guys like this chapter, it has a fair bit of angst in it but also some Faberry and Rachel/ Shelby cuteness so enjoy! Please please read and review! **

**Disclaimer - same as previous chapter, I don't own Glee etc.**

**Warning - contains references to violence/ fem-slash**

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After Quinn retold the whole story to Shelby, tears forming in her eyes as she told of the state she had found Rachel in and how Jesse just ran off and left her to die, both sat in a deathly silence, afraid to speak for fear of upsetting each other. The silence was suddenly shattered as a soft mumble came from the small girl still lying on Shelby's lap.

"Rach?" Shelby asks, thanking her lucky stars that her daughter was waking up.

"Mama" Rachel replies weakly

"Are you okay sweetie?" Quinn asks, kneeling down beside Rachel and moving soft brunette hair out of the girl's eyes.

Rachel manages to muster a nod but inside, she is far from okay. She is a total mess. She had fallen for Jesse; she really thought that he cared and now look where that had gotten her. As a sharp pain rips through Rachel's neck like a bolt of lightning, she can't contain it anymore and screams out in pain. This makes Shelby and Quinn jump slightly. Quinn tries to comfort Rachel but the girl starts being violently sick on her mother. Quinn zips off to find a bucket while Shelby sits there, feeling powerless as the contents of her daughters stomach are thrown up all over her clothes.

After they manage to position Rachel on the floor in front of the sofa with Quinn gently holding Rachel, directing her head to the bucket, Shelby heads up to change her soaked clothes. Tears start to form in Quinn's eyes. She loves Rachel, but is too scared to admit it. Gently stroking Rachel's shoulders, she takes pride in being able to help. When Shelby comes back and offers to take over so Quinn can go, she feels a pang of jealously. Quinn asks gently if she could maybe stay of couple of days, just to help out. It is the weekend after all, her parents won't mind and she can go and get an overnight bag from home. Shelby smiles hesitantly but she sees how much Rachel means to Quinn and agrees, saying Quinn can borrow some old pyjamas she has for tonight, as long as tonight she rings her parents to let them know. Quinn nods and goes upstairs with instructions on how to find the clothes.

Shelby moves to sit behind Rachel, holding her daughters hair back and rubbing her back gently. Once Rachel has finally finished, she leans back into her mother, who wraps her arms around her little girl. Shelby pulls Rachel into her lap and Rachel leans her head on her mother's chest. They stay like this for around 5 minutes before Quinn returns, saying she has called the doctors like Shelby asked before disappearing again to get a glass of milk for herself.

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Rachel's POV

I lie in my mother's arms for what seems like an eternity. I feel safe in her embrace and when mom tries to pull away, I cling onto her sweatshirt, begging her to stay. She strokes my hair reassuringly, saying something about the doctor. I freeze; I don't want to have to relive the scenario with Jesse. Mom sits me up with my head still leaning on her as the doctor knocks on the door gently and enters the room.

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Shelby's POV

I feel Rachel tremble as the doctor examines her. She is covered in bruises and scratches; I remind myself that I really need to scold Jesse hard over this. Let's see how he handles the wrath of Shelby Corcoran. I snap out of my angry mindset as Rachel whimpers. I wrap my arms around her waist, soothing her as the doctor applies medicinal cream and bandages to her sore arms.

The doctor questions the marks on Rachel's neck, asking if she did them herself. She sobs into me and I snap, shouting at the doctor that she had been traumatised by a bully and he should pay her some respect. He starts saying about the fact that Rachel will be subject police enquiries ove tht attack and and she may have to give evidence if it goes to court. I tell him that she's not ready for that yet, I'm her mother and she's staying with me for a few weeks because her dads are on a business trip and I don't want my baby girl to be alone and scared. I had an awkward conversation with them earlier, just after I had got re-dressed. Rachel looks up at me gratefully and a ghost of a smile passes her lips. The doctor sends the nurse in who's with him and she suggests taking Rachel upstairs and she'll sort out the medication.

I carry Rachel carefully in my arms to her bedroom, which is where she sleeps whenever she is at mine. I place her on the bed gently as the nurse shows me how to change the bandages and gives her the medication, which calms Rachel down slightly. The nurse says she will return tomorrow and leaves. I hear her chatting to Quinn, who has just come up the stairs and I decide to help Rachel get ready for bed. I realise Rachel hasn't said anything since 'mama' as I help her into pyjamas embroidered with little stars and place her back into the bed, tucking her in and kissing her forehead. Quinn enters the room and I tell her she can sleep on the other side of Rachel if she wants, Rachel could do with some company, before moving to my own room.

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Quinn's POV

It's around 11pm when I enter Rachel's room. I climb into the bed beside her and gingerly touch her hand.

"Thanks Quinn" Rachel smiles warmly "Goodnight"

"Night sweetie, sleep well" I reply.

Rachel gently snuggles up to me and I smile, holding her close and settling down for the night. Just before I drop off to sleep, I see something shining out of the corner of my eye. I smile at the glow in the dark stars stuck to the celling of the room.

"That's so Rachel" I giggle to myself before I give in to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N as always, thanks for all reviews, alerts and favourites. You guys rock! Here is chapter 4 :) Please read and review, reviews make me happy! X**

**Warning – references to violence/ femslash/ a couple of minor swear words.**

**Disclaimer – see chapter 2, I don't own Glee etc. **

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The next couple of days come and go in a bit of a blur. Quinn stops for the whole weekend, helping out with Rachel by making her smile, getting her food and generally being there for her. Quinn loves this; she loves the feeling that she's helping Rachel. However, Quinn is still too shy to tell Rachel, and toys with the idea of asking Shelby but it worried that she'll just freak out and ban Quinn from seeing Rachel. Quinn still feels uncomfortable around Shelby; she doesn't really know the side of her that she only shows to Rachel.

"Tomorrow" Quinn tells herself "Tomorrow, I'll tell her, after Brit and Santana have been."

On Monday morning, Shelby gently wakes Quinn in time for school. Helping her get her stuff together, Quinn says she'll be back around tea, after B and S's visit, and sets off. It has been decided that Rachel can have a few days off school in order to get her better.

Shelby gently sits on the side of the bed, next to her sleepy daughter. It's not that she doesn't appreciate Quinn's help, she had organised a lovely meal for Shelby and Will to cheer her up (and it certainly had), but Shelby was glad to just have quality time with her daughter. Rachel gently stirs and reaches her still bandaged arms out to her mother, who strokes her hands gently.

"Morning baby" Shelby says softly

"Morning mama" Rachel replies weakly "Where's Quinn?"

"At school sweetie" replies Shelby "She'll be back for tea. Brittany and Santana are coming over after school"

"Oh" Rachel simply states. She's unsure as to whether she wants to hear the Latina's fiery put downs but is happy to see Brittany, who's one of the few people able to make Rachel giggle. Shelby heads downstairs to make breakfast whilst Rachel turns on her phone for the first time in a few days. She has a lot of messages to catch up on. Most are from the glee club kids, with one exception.

_**Hey baby girl, hope you feel better soon! Mercedes xx**_

_**Berry, you better get better fast. School isn't School without mocking your awful fashion sense! S**_

_**I miss you presence. Sure, your presence is kind of annoying, but it's still you. Get well soon! Kurt x**_

_**I did make you an ice cream for when you got better but it melted so I gave it to the ducks. I'll get you a balloon okay? Luv ya, B xx**_

_**Get well soon Rach, miss you! Finn x**_

_**Oi Berry, get better soon yeah? We still need to win Nationals y'know! Noah**_

_**I'm watching you. I know where you are and I can cause more damage than before. JSJ**_

Rachel shudders at the tone of the last message, throwing her phone in anger before sobbing hard onto her pillow, causing Shelby to run like the speed of light to be by her side. Shelby picks up Rachel gently, settling her little girl onto her lap and drawing comforting circles on her back with her finger. She notices that her daughter has shrunk in recent days; due to the stress and medication, she wasn't eating much.

"Shhh baby girl, what's wrong?" Shelby asks, panic evident in her voice.

"Jesse" Rachel's voice falters on mentioning his name "He's coming to get me"

Shelby reaches for Rachel's phone and Rachel shows her the message. A look of pure horror and anger crosses her face as she pulls Rachel close.

"I'm going to fucking kill that bastard" Shelby seethes angrily under her breath "Nobody taunts and hurts _my_ daughter and gets away with it"

"Mama?" Rachel questions, snapping Shelby out of her thoughts.

"Yes sweetheart?" Shelby asks

"I cant get the image out of my head, of the anger in his eyes and the feel of his fist when he punched me" Rachel sobs lightly against her mother.

Shelby is taken aback for a moment, she's unsure what to say, before replying "Rach ... I know I can't fix everything, and I know it's gonna take a long time for you to get over this. But I love you more than anything and I'll do anything to make you feel better"

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**A/N general reaction from the reviews was that Shelby should be angrier with Jesse so there you go. I had something completely different written for this chapter but decided to go with this and am putting some of those ideas into the next couple of chapters. Sorry if any of the texts were OOC, I tried to keep them as in character as I could and also, Rachel nearly always calls Shelby 'mama' as I'm from the UK and forget to change mum to mom! :p Coming up in said next chapters, a Shelby and Jesse showdown, Brittany/ Santana visiting Rachel and Quinn finally admits her feelings!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Sorry this has taken me a while, I've had writers block and been super busy with coursework deadlines etc. I will make the next chapter longer but for now here's chapter 5, with some cute Shelby/ Rachel moments and Faberry fluff, enjoy and please review! X **

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee or any of the characters. Ditto Friends and the episode 'Chandler in a box'**

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Shelby and Rachel are sat on the sofa downstairs watching re-runs of Friends. Their fingers are intertwined and Rachel is lying down with her head on her mother's lap. Shelby gently strokes Rachel's hair as they giggle their way through the 'Chandler in a box' episode. At one point, Rachel starts having a coughing fit. Without thinking, Shelby pauses the DVD and moves her daughter to her lap, patting her on the back to help. Once Rachel has finished, she lies in her mother's arms for a while before returning her previous to her previous position. After a little bit, Shelby gently moves Rachel to a sitting position, kissing her daughter on her head gently.

"Mama, where are you going?" Rachel asks

"Just out baby. I need to go discipline Jesse. Harshly" Shelby replies, her voice tainted with a slight anger after mentioning Jesse's name.

"But mamaaaa" Rachel sighs "I don't want to be alone"

"How about I call Quinn and get her to come back for the afternoon? I'm sure if I explain to the office then they'll let her have the afternoon off" Shelby says comfortingly

"Okay" Rachel nods as Shelby exits to go ring Quinn.

Quinn's POV

I get a call just as I'm walking to lunch with Britt and Santana. Brittany starts dancing and humming along to my ringtone (some cheesy Disney song, its Rachel's favourite so when she calls, that's what my phone plays). A few jocks stare at Britt but Santana does her famous evil glare and they soon move on. I answer the call, which makes Brittany sulk and attempt to dance with Santana, which is a bad move.

"Hey Rach" I smile

"Hey Quinn, its Shelby. Please could you come help this afternoon? I have to go out, I can't take Rach with me and she won't let me go unless you come over to keep her company. I've rung the office and they've signed you out for the afternoon so don't worry about that" Shelby babbles.

"Like mother, like daughter" I giggle to myself before replying to Shelby "Okay, I'm coming"

Saying goodbye to Brittany and Santana, I try and walk out the door before Brittany catches up, thrusting something into my hands.

"Here, give this to Rachel please. I was gonna give it to her when me and San came over later, but Santana thinks its lame. I think Rachel will like it" Brittany says softly

"I will do Britt" I smile at her and put the parcel in my backpack.

"Brittany, come on. I need food" Santana half says, half growls and Britt bounces back over to her, her ponytail swishing behind her. Sometimes, I wonder whether Santana is right for Brittany ... but I can't think about that now. I need to go see Rachel.

Rachel's POV

For the first time in days, I feel genuinely happy as the doorbell goes. Walking over to open it, I see Quinn stood on the doorstep and immediately engulf her in a hug, which makes mom smile.

"See you later baby" Mama smiles at me, stroking my hair and kissing me on the cheek "Thanks Quinn"

Quinn politely smiles and we both move into the living room.

"Here, this is from Britt" Quinn says, handing me a small, squishy parcel wrapped in gold paper with a neat little pink bow "She wanted me to give it to you because Santana thought it was too cheesy" Quinn rolls her eyes at the last statement.

I unwrap the gift and inside is a little teddy bear. The ribbon around his neck has tiny gold stars on and the teddy itself has a slightly lopsided smile and is covered in glitter.

Reminding myself to thank Britt later, Quinn and I lie on the sofa. Quinn pulls me close and I wrap my arms around her waist. I thought that this would feel uncomfortable, but it actually feels comfortable.

"Rach, I need to tell you something" Quinn sighs "I ... I think I'm in love with you"

I feel slightly taken aback, but my mind process the thoughts and I realise something. If it wasn't for Quinn staying with me during the nights and helping me get sorted and just being there for me, I wouldn't have made it through these past few days.

"Quinn" I smile warmly at her "I love you too"

With that, we both initiate a kiss. Our first kiss. The most magical moment of my life so far.

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**A/N aww hope you guys enjoyed the fluff! Back the angst next, with Shelby and Jesse's confrontation, so plenty of drama! **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N so sorry for the delay in updating – school work and work experience took over! I'm finally finished for summer now so hoping for faster updates. As always thanks for all reviews / faves/ alerts! If any has any suggestions for what to put in/ where to go with this story than please tell me via review button and I'll credit you if I use the idea (: please Review! **

**WARNING – a couple of minor swear words**

**DICLAIMER – see chapter 2, I don't own Glee etc!**

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**Shelby's POV**

I try to keep my composure as I storm over to Jesse's house. As I turn a corner, I see a car coming right towards me. I quickly slam on the brakes and swerve just in time to avoid the car making contact with mine. I curse under my breath and just sit in the car for a moment, trying to get over the shock. I see the owner of the car grind to a halt and get out of the car.

"At least he's going to come and see that I'm okay" I sigh to myself.

His eyes meet mine and I instantly go cold. The eyes staring back at me belong to one other than Jesse. How dare he! I manage to scramble out of the car and stare at him, each of us daring the other to speak.

"I thought you would be with Rachel" he spits out

"You ... you hurt my daughter" I manage to say "You have no idea how broken she is, how much of an impact you've had on my innocent little girl"

Jesse starts laughing evilly and I try to restrain myself from kicking his massive head in.

"You didn't even care about her till I found her for you" he spits angrily "She aint so innocent now bitch. Your just gonna use her like you used me. She's just a silly little whore"

As soon as Jesse finishes his speech, I see red. How dare he try to deliberately hurt me and take my daughters innocence? Not realising that a crowd has gathered, we start to fight. He kicks me square in the eye, which makes me recoil in pain. I aim for him and am about to kick when I feel someone gently restraining me and watch someone else tackle Jesse to the ground.

"Ermm ... Miss Corcoran? You okay?" a soft voice asks me as a mohawked boy and a very tall boy in a football jersey restrain Jesse, the third of them calling the police. A small Latina is holding my arms still, with the person who spoke to me stood next to her, her blonde hair sprawled across her shoulders

"I should be okay" I reply before turning to the other girl "Thanks" I smile at her

"No problem, that jackass needs to learn a lesson" she sighs "Besides, me and B were just heading to yours to see Rachel"

"Oh you must be Santana and Brittany then? Rachel's been looking forward to seeing you" I say

Brittany just smiles widely at me and links arms with Santana

"Come on Miss, we'll take you back if you want?" she asks me politely

"Please, call me Shelby" I smile "And thanks"

We head to their car and as I get in my phone starts ringing. I check the caller ID and open my phone.

"Hi Will" I say

"Hey, just heard about that almost car crash you were in, I hope your okay" he says sweetly

"Thanks for the concern Will, but I'm fine honestly" I reply

"I'm glad. Got to go, Emma is calling" he says and I feel a pang of guilt

"But ... You and I... We had dinner ..." I stumble over my words

"Shelby that wasn't a date, Quinn just arranged it to cheer you up and I agreed. Oh god, you thought ..." he starts

"No, no ..." I whimper slightly "Go have fun with Emma"

"See you later, okay" He says and hangs the phone up

"You okay back there?" asks Santana

"Yeah .. I guess" I sigh, trying to work things out in my mind ...

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**A/N hope everyone enjoyed that, next few chapters will feature a few reactions to Rachel and Quinn's makeout session and also Shelby trying to win Will back!**


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